The UKs fight against sexual

violence must not falter

Thursday 06 Nov 2014

As Foreign Secretary, William Hague broke new ground with his unremitting
focus on ending sexual violence against women.
There were those in Whitehall and beyond who questioned the time he
dedicated to the campaign, in the face of other pressing demands on his
time.
And there were a fair few who were sceptical about his commitment to the
cause, and his decision to ally himself with the Hollywood actress Angelina
Jolie.
But despite the noises off, he returned to the campaign again and again,
and in my view it will be seen as one of his most impressive achievements
when he quits politics next year.
Now hes left the Foreign Office, his successor needs to prove he shares his
dedication to the cause.
There was no mention about women and violence in the new Foreign
Secretary Philip Hammonds recent Commons statement on the British
response to militants from the Islamic State (IS) group. Not a single word.

That despite reports that Yazidi women in Iraq are being raped daily and
enslaved by IS, not to mention footage purporting to show
fighters bartering over Yazidi girls on slave market day.
And although Mr Hague, as the prime ministers special representative on
sexual violence, attends a government committee on violence against
women, the foreign secretary himself doesnt.
Other cabinet ministers should also demonstrate their support.
The Department for International Developments (DfIDs) forthcoming
conference on Afghanistan the London Development Conference has,
according to Action Aid, completely marginalised the issue of womens
rights.
Odd that when you consider nearly half the women in prison in Afghanistan
are, according to the UN, detained for zina crimes that is, crimes of
extramarital sex of adultery.
Zina often prevents women from reporting rape for fear of being
criminalised themselves. In some cases, rape survivors in Afghanistan have

been murdered by their own families in so-called honour killings.

Top table
Despite the pressing need for violence against women to be discussed at
the conference, Action Aid claims only one woman has been given a
speaker slot, and theres no dedicated space to debate womens rights.
This despite the fact that, at the sexual violence summit he and Jolie hosted
in London in June, Mr Hague said he was saddened that women and
womens groups still have to ask to be included at the negotiating table, as
if it were a concession to be granted.
He added: We should not have to be reminded, as governments, that
women must have a seat in every forum of decision-making, and it should
not be the uphill struggle that it is to overturn the habits of centuries and
establish new precedents and norms for full female participation.
Perhaps Mr Hagues cabinet colleagues need reminding that those
sentiments were echoed in a UK government National Action Plan on a UN
Security Council Resolution.
Action Aids head of advocacy Barry Johnston told me: Women in
Afghanistan are putting their lives on the line every day to help secure
peace and build a better future for themselves, their families and their
communities.
They have repeatedly told us that they are afraid of a resurgent Taliban
following the international troop withdrawal, and that the fragile gains in
education, health and ending violence against women will go into reverse.
So many promises have been made to Afghan women and so few have
been kept. Next months conference is a key moment for the UK and
international community to send a clear message of renewed long term
commitment to women.
Hague alone?
DfID responded by saying there was no question that the rights of Afghan
women and girls are a top priority for the UK and next months London

Conference on Afghanistan.
We are working hard to ensure that Afghan women actively participate in
the Conference and improving the lives of women and girls will be firmly on
the agenda, a spokesman said.
When I called the Foreign Office for comment, Mr Hammond was supportive
of Mr Hague but clear that responsibility for violence against women rested
with the Commons leader.
He told me: William Hague has been instrumental in raising the issue of
PSVI [the preventing sexual violence initiative] across the world and
encouraging other countries to do more to protect womens rights.
The PM has asked William to continue his leadership of this agenda in his
new office, with support from the Foreign Office, and from me.
An aide meanwhile takes a sideswipe at the opposition, accusing the other
parties of being more focused on T-shirt photo opportunities, adding:
This government believes in taking real steps to progress womens rights,
not T-shirt stunts that backfire.
And while women might not have made the IS speech, they did get a lookin during Mr Hammonds September statement on Afghanistan.
It would be a great shame if the campaign Mr Hague and Jolie started still
front of mind in the first secretary of states new Commons office doesnt
get the enthusiastic and public backing of his cabinet colleagues.
Because justice for survivors of sexual violence past and present will
require buy-in across government.
When Mr Hague accompanied Jolie to the Democratic Republic of Congo last
year, he met some of the estimated 200,000 women who have been raped
there since 1998.
And he brought those heart-rending stories back with him. Their
experiences transformed him as a politician and a man.
Now the onus is on governments around the world to take action to
transform their lives, secure the justice they deserve, and prevent an

atrocity that Mr Hague himself has called a monstrosity of our age.

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